Don't Be Afraid
by Allie357
Summary: Tony gets shot while clearing a scene and he may not make it through. Gibbs orders McGee, who feels guilty about the incident, to tell Tony's sister, whom no one knew existed. Tim soon finds himself falling for his best friend's sister. AUish story. R&R.
1. Gunshots and Flashbacks

Disclaimer: I own nothing of NCIS. I only own Allison.

A/N: I'm not sure where I got the idea for this but it sort of just came to me. I don't know if it'll be good or anything. I'm just sort of making this up as I go, which may not be the best idea but that's okay.

--

"You need to put the gun down," Special Agent Tony DiNozzo ordered as he pointed his service pistol at their suspect. The man had his gun trained on Special Agent Timothy McGee, who was unarmed.

"No, you put it down or I'll shoot your boy here, right now," the burly gang banger said.

"Okay." He slid his gun across the floor. It didn't quite reach the guy with the gun but lay almost in front of McGee. Tony knew that the man with the gun pointed at McGee was about to pull the trigger so he shoved his partner out of the way. The two bullets hit Tony. McGee used the unknown man's momentary shock to grab the other gun and lodged three bullets into his chest. Blood pooled around both men but McGee's attention turned to Tony as soon as he disarmed the man he had shot.

He pulled out his phone and dialed 911 for an abulence while applying pressure to Tony's gunshot wound. He grunted in pain from the increase in pressure but McGee ignored this and pressed harder. "DiNozzo, I need you to stay awake, okay? Stay awake unitl the EMT's get here." Tony nodded his head and stuggled to keep his eyes open. As they started to close, McGee shouted, "Stay awake!" He added momentary sharp pressure to his wound and Tony gave a whimper of pain as he opened his eyes wide. "Sorry. I just had to keep you awake." He gave a weak smile and nod.

On the other end of the house, the paramedics burst through the front door. As they entered the back bedroom room, one went to the gang banger and one to Tony. McGee immediately got out of the way to call his boss as the medic started to ask Tony questions. "Sir, can you tell me your name?"

"T-tony DiN-DiNozzo," he struggled to answer.

"Okay, Tony, I need you to stay with me all right?" Tony gave a tiny nod of understanding, but slipped into unconsciousness anyway. "We're losing him! We need to get him to a hospital now!" he shouted to his partner. McGee had a panic-stricken look on his face as he watched the paramedics load his unconcious partner into their van. Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibb's dark blue sedan raced around the corner at top speed.

The middle-aged agent leaped from the car with Mossad Officer Ziva David right behind looking slightly green from the terrible car ride. "What the hell happened, McGee?" he ordered.

McGee gulped as he tried to clear his head to explan to his boss what had happened. "We were, uh, clearing the scene and I went into the back bedroom. The guy was waiting behind the door. He knocked my gun out of my hand with the door and took my weapon. Tony heard the struggle and came in to investigate. When he got there he tried to talk the suspect down but couldn't and he had already handed over his weapon so he shoved me out of the line of fire and got shot himself. I grabbed the gun Tony had given up and shot the suspect. He's dead and Tony's on his way to the hospital out cold." He explained everything very fast and Gibbs was silent for a few minutes without an expression on his face. Ziva looked as if she was going to beat someone up for hurting Tony.

Finally after a tense silence Gibbs said, "Call Ducky. Tell him we have a body. Get some other agents and have them process the scene. You two, go back to NCIS and look for Tony's emergency contact. They need to be informed. And tell Abby what happed."

"What about you Gibbs?" Ziva asked. Their boss was unusally calm considering the situation and he hadn't told McGee off yet, which was strange. McGee had alomost prefered if he had yelled or slapped him on the back of the head. Anything really other than what he did. Someone needed to blame him. It was his fault. If Gibbs wasn't mad a him, who would be?

"I'm going to the hospital to see to Tony's condition." Both of his agents stared at him be for he barked, "Get going!" He hopped into his car and sped away leaving McGee and Ziva confused and worried.

"Come on, Ziva," McGee whispered as he opened the driver's side door to his own car. "Let's go. Call it in from the car." Ziva didn't want to argue. From McGee's demeanor, she guessed the gunshot wound was pretty bad. She didn't really want to admit it, but she cared for Tony. After all she had done to distance herself from these people, she found that she had gotten quite close to them. If Tony died, she would be devistated. But no one else was going to know that. She was quite good at hiding her emotions and would have to if it trulycame down to it. She just hoped that he would be okay.

--

_A young girl was running around the playground laughing as her older brother chased her. "I'm going to get you Allison!" the older boy laughed._

"_I'd like to see you try, Tony!" the six-year-old Allison challenged._

_Fourteen-year-old Tony DiNozzo laughed as he finally caught up with his baby sister. Swinging her around in his arms he said, "I told you I'd get you."_

"_No fair! You're bigger than I am!" she whined but didn't really mean what she said. She loved her big brother and didn't mind one bit that he had caught up to her._

Tony felt as if he had a brick on his chest. _What's going on?_ He thought. _Where am I?_ His chest constricted more and he heard someone yell, "I just knicked an artery! Get me that clamp now or he'll bleed to death!" He felt a pinch on his insides then slowly slipped back into memories of his childhood.

In his mind's eye he saw a new scene develop before him. _It was a warm summer day when he was nine years old. Ordinarily, he would be out throwing the football around with his father on a day like this. But this was different. Today was different._

_As Tony glanced around at the headstones surrounding him, he knew his dad's name would soon be among those already there. He turned his attention back to the ceremony, back to where his mother, holding his one-year-old sister, was crying, back to the coffin where his father lay._

_He tried so hard to keep those tears from falling. He had to be the strong one now since Micheal DiNozzo was gone. But he just couldn't. Not this time. Salty tears ran freely down his small cheeks as the coffin was slowly lowered into the hole in the ground. This would be the last time he would ever see his dad. The very last time._

--

"Did you know Tony had a sister?" Ziva asked McGee who was seated at his desk looking through some computer records.

"What?" he said obviously surprised at the news.

"Yes. Her name is Allison," she read from the computer screen. "She's twenty-two and is going to college at Cambridge."

"Wow. I wonder why he didn't tell us," McGee pondered out loud.

"That would be none of your business, McGee," Gibbs replied to the young agent. As he walked around to sit at his own desk, McGee noticed the lines on his face looked more distinct, like he he'd aged five years in the short hour he was not with them.

"I guess not, Boss," McGee responded. "How's Tony?"

"He's in surgery. They're trying to remove the two bullets lodged in his chest cavity. Unfortunatly they are dangerously close to his heart and they don't…" Gibbs faultered but only for a moment, "…don't know if he's gonna make it."

Ziva tried to hide the wave of emotion that flooded her mind as her boss said those eight little words. She tried but failed to suppress the lump rising into her throat. Tony could **not **die. He just couldn't. Her hands began to tremble. To calm herself she took in a shaky breath. Luckily, neither Gibbs nor McGee saw this as they were absorbed in their own thoughts about Tony. "McGee, you need to go up to Massachusettes and inform his sister about what happened."

"Boss, that's over a two hour flight," McGee complained.

"You'd better get going then," Gibbs replied.

"What am I supposed to pay for the ticket with?" McGee asked.

"You have a pay check," Gibbs reminded him.

"But boss I-" Gibbs gave him a glare he'd never seen before. "-will get to the airport right away." Gibbs's expression softened as McGee asked, "Ziva, what's her address?" He quickly scribbled down the street name and appartment number on a piece of paper and rushed out of the squadroom.

Ziva stared at her hands. Then she asked in a small voice that was very unlike her, "Gibbs, is he going to be all right?"

Gibbs gave a deep sigh and replied with truth and desparation, "I don't know, Ziva. I just don't know."

"That is what frightens me," Ziva replied.

--

A/N: So how did you like the start to my story? Please review and let me know how I did and if you liked it or not. Don't worry. Tony's sister will be making an appearance next chapter. Should get really good! And if you didn't understand something please ask and I will explain it. Also, if you didn't get it, those scenes in italics are flashbacks that Tony has while on the operating table. JFYI. ANYWHO, please review! Thanks!!!


	2. The Flight Back

Disclaimer: I own nothing of NCIS but Allison. I just love them dearly.

A/N: Thank you to all those who reviewed. I appreciate the constructive criticisms giving and I hope you continue to read. Also this is an AU story 'cause Tony's father really is alive and he's an only child. I just thought it'd be interesting if he did have a sibbling.

--

The flight to Massechusettes was full of the extra frustration he didn't need. Security was more than uncooperative and McGee almost had to call it quits. After what seemed like hours, he got onto his flight and prepared for takeoff. Worried thoughts swimmed around in the corners of his mind. _How am I going to tell her on my own?_ he thought. _I'm not good with cyring women, apart from Sara, but that's different. This kind of stuff is Gibbs's job. He **is **good at it._ Obviously he was going to have to take her back with him. She was going to want to see her brother. _Could I deal with sitting next to a crying woman for two hours on a plane? That was the million dollar question._ As the plane landed his worries increased.

The rental car lot luckily was open by the time McGee got there. At first he hadn't thought of the fact he had to _drive _to her house to talk to her. But as soon as he emerged from the airport the realization hit him. After roughly 30 minutes of driving he pulled up to the appartment complex. He took a deep breath then got out of the car to inform this girl her brother had been shot.

--

The familiar melodic tune of the doorbell rang through the tiny appartment. Allison sat at her computer finishing up the last of her Mid-Term Essays. Winter break had finally come and she was planning on visiting her brother. "Coming!" she yelled as she pressed the **SAVE **button. Her brown hair pulled back into a ponytail bounced as she jogged towards the front door. A man dressed in a black suit, missing the tie, stood opposite her and looked as if he was ready to puke. "Can I help you?" she asked pleasently.

McGee took a deep breath and asked, "Are you Allison DiNozzo?"

The fair-skinned, petite girl gave him a funny look and replied, "Yes."

He cleared his throat before taking out his badge and saying, "My name's Special Agent Timothy McGee from NCIS. I trust you know what that means."

Her smile immediately vanished and was replaced with a look of worry. "Oh, my God. Did something happen to Tony?"

Putting off the inevitable, he asked, "May I come in?"

She nodded and replied, "Sure. Sure. Can I get you anything, Agent McGee?" When she closed the cream colored door, McGee's eyes wandered around the one bedroom appartment. It was painted a pale yellow that McGee found was oddly calming. A televsion sat on a simple entertainment system made of dark brown wood. White furniture was neatly placed around the immaculate living room and the door to the bed and bathroom was closed. Both the living room and the kitchen were very open and were lit with the natural light of the sunny day outside. Other than a silver laptop and a bowl of fruit, nothing remained on the spotless marble kitchen counter. It was not what you would expect in the avergae college student's room and it was definately not what McGee expected from a sibbling of the Anthony DiNozzo he knew.

"No. No. That's all right. Thank you though," McGee answered in response to her question.

"Please. Sit down," she offered as she took her own seat on the white couch. McGee sat down next to her and took a deep breath. "Agent McGee, has something happened to my brother?" she pushed.

He closed his eyes, not wanting to answer the question. But he knew he needed to know so he replied, "Yeah. Yeah, something's happened."

She struggled to ask her next question. "Is he-"

"No," McGee interrupted knowing exactly what she was going to ask. Knowing that wasn't the whole truth he added, "Not yet."

Allie heaved a sigh of relief but the worried look returned when she heard McGee's last words. "Wait. What does that mean? 'Not yet'?"

"Tony was shot twice while clearing a scene. When I left, he was still in surgery and because I haven't heard anything else, I'm guessing that's still the case. It's…" He didn't know how to phrase the fact that Tony may not make it gently. "…unclear if he's going to pull through. The bullets are dangerously close to his heart and it's a risky surgery to perform." During this gentle explination of what had happened, tears slowly filled the young girl's eyes. "You need to come down to DC with me. You're Tony's emergency contact. If anything were to happen to him that would prevent him from making his own decisions-" A small sob escaped the girl's lips but McGee pressed on. "-you would have to be the one to do it."

Wiping away tears, she nodded. "Let me just get my keys and some money."

She tried to walk away but Tim caught her arm. "You don't have to. I can pay for the plane ticket and my rental is just outside. Just, get some of your things together." Swallowing the lump in her throat, she nodded and struggled to give a small smile.

--

"_Tony," a teenage Allie cried over the phone._

"_What is it Al?" Tony asked very concerned. His sister rarely cried. This could be bad._

"_Tony, something happened while I was out last night…"_

_Tony could hear the tears in his sister's voice. "What? What happened?" he pushed harder._

"_DiNozzo!" Gibbs barked from his own desk as he hung up the phone. "Grab your gear! We have a scene!"_

"_One second, Boss." He almost never contradicted Gibbs and tried to aviod it if he could, but he couldn't just hang up the phone. This could be something life threatening and this was his sister after all. "Allie, please tell me what happened," he begged._

_Gibbs was furious at his youngest agent telling him to wait. He thought he had him better trained than that. "Long! Get DiNozzo!" he shouted to his senior agent. Agent Micheal Long nodded and walked over to Tony's desk. _

_Over the phone Agent Long heard a girl sob. He was tough on the Probie but he wouldn't interrupt him on a phone call like that. "I'm pretty sure its important, Boss. Go ahead with Mary and we'll meet you at the scene." Gibbs grudgingly nodded and as he walked to the elevator, Tony gave a greatful look to Mike. Mike returned to his desk to give Tony some sort of privacy. _

"_Tony, someone- someone attacked me," Allie whispered. _

_Tony's eyes widened and he grew pale. "What? What did they do? Who was it?" he demanded._

"_I don't know who it was!" she wailed. "And I can't tell you over the phone. Please come home. I need you."_

"_Okay. Okay. I'll be there soon. I promise." Another sob came from the other end and Tony's heart nearly broke. "Call me if you need anything else okay, honey? I love you. I'll be home in a couple of hours." He grabbed his gun and bagde and started to walk out. "Mike, tell Gibbs I'm taking the week off for personal reasons." He left Mike sitting there astounded at his abruptness. Gibbs was going to be pissed. _

Tony saw a flash of white light and heard someone say, "We've got him back."

--

This time around, the plane wasn't nearly as crowded. As the flight attendents finished instructing the passengers to fasten their seat belts, McGee looked over to the women seated beside him. Silent tears steadily flowed down her face and McGee felt as if he need to say something. "Are you okay?" he asked. Just as he realized what he said he added to himself, "I'm sorry. That was a dumb question. You're obviously not okay. Your brother was just shot and may not make it through."

"No," she replied. "It's not a dumb question. I would ask me if I'm okay too if I were you." She wiped away tears and added, "I'm fine by the way. Just a little shaken up I guess. I really hate flying." she mentioned.

McGee chuckled and replied, "Sorry about that. I just didn't think you'd want to drive for eight hours."

"I hate driving more." Both were silent as the plane evened out after take off. With newly found tears she whispered, "I just need him to be okay."

He swallowed as he tried to find a response. "I know you do, because we need him to be okay too. Tony may be a complete pain in the ass to me but, after three years working with him, I don't know if it'll be the same."

She gave a watery laugh and said, "I guess when you work on a team for four years you get pretty close."

An awkward silence followed and McGee broke it by saying more to himself than to Allison, "Tony's a really good guy."

"He is. He may have been a jock but he was different than the others. He didn't make fun of nerds just because he could." McGee raised his eyebrows in skepticism. "It's true! He even had nerd friends too. He teased them of course but it was out of brotherly affection rather than spite. And if he hurt their feelings he said he was sorry. Has he ever done that with you?"

McGee pondered this for a second and remembered all the times Tony had appologized for taunting him. "Yeah. Yeah, he has."

"He only teases you because he cares. He really is a good guy. And an even better big brother." More tears formed and McGee reached over and put a hand on hers. Her hand twisted to clasp his and she turned to face the window. For the next two hours their hands sat intertwined in silence, both lost in their own thoughts.

--

A/N: I'm done with another chapter. I hope you like this one as much as you did the last one. Please Review and tell me if I made any errors. Please and Thank you!!!!


	3. Tears

Disclaimer: I own nothing of NCIS. Only Allie. She's all mine.

A/N: Thank you for the very kind reviews. I hope you enjoy this next chapter! Sorry for the delay in updating, as I had a few things to take care of. I'll try to get the next chapter up ASAP, but unitl then, have fun with this!!

--

_Catlin Todd stood not six feet in front of him. He'd always felt something more for the woman, he'd just never had the guts to tell her. After she was shot and he almost died from the Plague, he seriously was reconsidering this decision. Luckily, when she was shot, a bullet proof vest prevented her from aquiring any life threatening injury._

_That was before the sniper rifle put a bullet through her head. Warm blood splattered all over his face. Her blood. How could he have let this happen? _

Breath wouldn't come and he felt as if fog was filling his mind. He couldn't see anything clearly. "Intubate him! He's not breathing!" a man yelled. Someone opened his mouth and a tube slid down it. The fog in his mind lifted.

--

McGee's car he had picked up from the airport, pulled into the the Navy Yard in Washington DC. Inside the gates was where NCIS HQ was located. It took a few minutes to get past security but after that they got in just fine. "Why are we going to NCIS and not the hospital first?" Allison asked dryly while getting out of the car.

"Because my boss wants to talk to you first," McGee replied for what felt like the thousandth time.

"Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs," she said. "I've heard all about him."

"You have?"

"I've heard about all you guys actually. That's why when you said your name I thought something had happened to Tony. He likes to tell stories about you guys. That's how I knew he teased you." She smiled at the few memories of Tony's story-telling.

When they arrived in the squard room, it was virtually empty. "Here, " McGee said. "You can sit at Tony's desk." He pointed to the one directly across from them. Nodding, she sat as McGee went to find Gibbs.

She sat quietly and tapped a key on the keyboard. An image of her and Tony flashed up on the screen. "Figures you'd choose that one Tony," she chuckled to herself. This had been taked at his graduation. The ten year old Allie was perched on Tony's back and the sight of their genuine smiles illumnated what seemed to be the darkest situation she'd ever been in. Tony had been the only father figure she'd ever known and whenever she had a problem she trusted Tony to take care of it, legally or not. The teenage Tony looked almost identical to the Tony now. "You haven't changed much since then, have you? You even look the same." Sighing she looked down and closed her eyes. "Please. Please," she begged. "Please be okay."

"He will be," a gruff voice said from behind her. Startled she almost jumped out of the chair. "Didn't mean to scare you."

"Agent Gibbs?" she asked. He nodded. "Can I see my brother now? Please?" His head nudged to the side signaling her to follow him. The elevator doors dinged open and both climbed in. As soon as the double doors closed he shut the elevator off. "Agent Gibbs, what are you doing?"

"There's something you need to know first."

"He's not dead is he?" she asked fearing the worst.

"No. But he is on life support." Allie's eyes widened and she went weak at the knees. One of her hands reached up to cover her mouth and she leaned up against the elevator wall. "The procedure took a lot out of him and he can't breath in his own." She began to drop to the floor in shock, but Gibbs caught her before she fell completely.

"I'm sorry," she said with tears rolling down her cheeks. Gibbs knelt next to Allie, whom he had gently set down on the floor of the elevator. "I though that when he got The Plague was bad but this…is just so much worse."

"I know," Gibbs agreed in a soft voice. "Believe me, I know."

"I want to see my brother now," she said barely above a whisper.

Gibbs nodded and said, "Okay. Okay."

--

The ride to the hospital was short and silent. When they arrived Gibbs went up to the front desk and asked for Tony DiNozzo's room. The nurse led them up to a room just out of the ICU. "The Doctor will be here in a moment," she said and walked away.

Completely ingnoring the fact Gibbs was standing next to her, she walked into Tony's room. "Anthony DiNozzo…" she whispered upon seeing him lying there, "What have you done to yourself?"

--

Someone walked softly into his room. _It could just be another doctor _he reminded himself. Then he heard her voice. "Anthony DiNozzo…What have you done to yourself?" she had asked.

He wanted desperatly to answer his little sister. But words wouldn't come out of his mouth and he couldn't move. He was too weak to even open his eyes and look at her. It was completely killing him inside to have his sister only five feet away and not being able to talk to or see her. He felt warm water drops fall on his hand. _Why was she crying? Was I really hurt that badly? _he thought.

"Miss DiNozzo, the doctor would like to speak with you," a familiar voice said. _Gibbs! _He thought. _Why is he with my sister? I must be hurt really bad for Gibbs to personally take my sister to see me…_

--

Gibbs had politly asked her if she could come out and through the sliding galss doors she could see why. The doctor had arrived. "Miss DiNozzo," he said, "I'm afraid things do not look good for your brother. Because the surgery went over the time we had expected it to, we decided not to get the second bullet."

"What? Why not?" she demanded.

"His body was already weak when he arrived at the hospital and even weaker when I reached the first bullet. I didn't think his body could take much more so I closed him up. I was right because now he can't breath on his own. Now, the second bullet **may** not be a problem, but…"

"But what?"

"It may shift and lodge in his heart which would kill him."

"Well, can't you remove it now?" she asked.

"We may be able to attempt another procedure but, I have to warn you that the second procedure may also kill him."

"So my options suck either way," she said glumly. "I either don't do the surgery with the possibility of killing him or I do do the surgery with the posibility of killing him."

"You don't have to make a choice right now," he assured her but I want you to think about it in the next few hours." Allie nodded and the doctor walked away with a solomn look on his face.

"I'll leave you here alone," Gibbs said. "I have to go back to work."

"Okay. Thank you Agent Gibbs. For everything." Gibbs gave a rare smile and walked away, leaving Allison to decide what she should do.

--

As Gibbs walked out of the hospital doors, McGee was walking in. "How is he?" he asked.

"Not very good." McGee just gave a sigh in response. "He's in room 304 just outside of the ICU." He nodded and walked towards the elevator while Gibbs left the bulding.

As McGee reached the hallway where Tony's room was located, he heard sobbing. When he looked inside, he saw Allie seated in a chair with her head in her arms on Tony's limp torso crying. No, crying was too tame of a word. She was sobbing hysterically, something McGee never wanted to hear again in his life. Instincts kicking in, he quietly entered the room. Tony wasn't dead because the steady beep of the heart moniter was still going. In fact, if it want for the monitor and the tube coming out of his throat, McGee would assume that he was dead. "Allie?" he asked putting a hand on her sholder. She cried harder. "Allison what happened?"

Not being able to ingore the other presence any more, Allison launched herself into McGee's arms and contiuned sobbing. Why she did that, no one could tell you. She may have just longed for someone to hold her while she cried instead of over a body that couldn't move.

McGee, after getting over his momentary shock, wrapped his arms around her. "Shh. It's okay. He's gonna be okay." He said things like this for over ten minutes as she cried herself dry.

Choking back the last of her tears she looked McGee in the eye. "I'm so sorry," she said. "I don't know what's come over me. I didn't mean to pull you in like this."

"It's okay," McGee replied. "I get it. You're worried about him. We all are."

"But I never completely loose it like that," she responded with new tears. "I just don't know why this is happening. He's all I had left after Mom passed three years ago. And now, I have to decide whether to have them take the bullet out ot leave it in. But leaving it may kill him and taking it out may kill him and I don't know what to do. What would you do?"

"I don't really know how to answer that just yet but," he added seeing her crestfallen face, "I'll think about it and get back to you later. Okay?" She nodded. "I really am sorry?"

"Sorry fo what? You didn't shoot him."

"But it was because he was protecting me that he did," he choked holding back his own tears.

"I may not know a whole hell of a lot about your guys' relationship, but if he took a bullet for you he must really care. And I don't think that he would want you blaming yourself for a decision he made." Her lip quivered as she continued. "What you said before on the plane was right. Tony really is a good guy." Another comfort hug followed and she laughed. "I don't think Tony gives you enough credit for bravery. Not many guys are willing to tear up in front of a girl."

McGee chuckled. Abby appeared just outside the door and McGee said, "I'll be right back. Why don't you lie down on the couch. You should try and rest."

"I'm not tired."

"I know. Just try. You may be surprised." He quietly shut the door behind him and Abby jumped into a hug.

"That was really nice, Timmy," she said.

"What else was I supposed to do? Sit there and watch her cry? No. If that was me in that bed, which it almost was, I'd want someone to comfort my sister. Even if it was Tony who was-"

"You're a good guy, Tim."

McGee gave a sigh and replied, "Thanks Abbs."

"He's not doing very good, is he?" she asked with her own set of tears.

"Yeah. Apparently they couldn't get the second bullet out and she has to decide whether or not to leave it inor take it out. But either decision could kill him," McGee answered, suddenly finding the floor very interesting.

"Oh, my poor Tony," Abby whispered. McGee turned to look back at his partner and he grinned. "What?" Abby asked.

"Looks like she was tired after all," he answered as he pointed to Allison.

"She's even prettier than Tony described her," Abby smiled.

"Tony told you about her?"

"Yeah. I talked to her once on the phone. She's a real sweetheart." After walking into the room, she pulled a blanket from the foot of the couch over her body and took her chair next to Tony. McGee stood behind her and looked upon both sleeping figures. A pang of guilt surged through him and he bit his bottem lip. Time seemed to stand still as the two sat there.

--

His sister was crying. Sobbing actually, and Tony couldn't do a thing. He couldn't tell her that everything would be all right. He couldn't hold her or stoke her hair like he did when she got hurt in high school. He couldn't do anything but lie there and listen to sobs that would make even the toughest man's heart break. And for Tony, it was even worse. His heart was not only breaking, it was shattering into a thousand pieces at the sound of his sister's tears.

Suddenly there was another voice belonging to McGee say something and her body left his. Tony silently thanked the young man for comforting his sister and soon after she stopped crying. Allie told McGee something about him. McGee thought it was his fault. Tony desperatly wanted to inform his partner it wasn't but like when Allie was crying, he couldn't do a thing.

The door opened a few more times and another hand enclosed his. The smooth surface of the rings told him that his current visitor was Abby. It took getting shot, but Tony realized he had true friends. Friends that would sit in the hospital with him even when he couldn't talk to them. If only he could thank them for what they were doing for him and how much it meant to him. He had to be okay. If not for anything else, then for his friends and his sister. He couldn't leave them. Not yet.

--

A/N: Sorry again for the delay in updating. Please Review!!!!


	4. Guilty

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Unfortunatly…

A/n: I am SO SORRY for how long oit took me to update. I was doing a bunch of stuff and was really busy. I hope this makes up for it but I'm sorry in advance for any spelling mistakes. Happy reading!"

--

McGee had stayed for a little while watching Tony and Allison sleep. Abby left before him and Ziva came in after her. "When are you going to leave?" Ziva asked him as she stood in the back of the room.

"Soon," he muttered but didn't mean it. The truth was he couldn't bring himself to leave. It was his fault Tony was shot. It just didn't feel right leaving him there alone. He sat in the same position for three hours. Ziva came and went and another hour later Gibbs walked in with coffee in his hand.

"How long's she been asleep?" Gibbs wondered tossing his head toward the girl on the couch.

"About five hours," McGee whispered.

"McGee, have you gone home?" he asked standing behind the younger man. He silently shook his head. Blacks bags lingered underneath his eyes that never seemed to leave Tony's face and strands of his hair fell into his face. "Why not?" Gibbs asked him.

"I don't really know, Boss," he replied. "I just couldn't bring myself to do it I guess. Every time I'd try to get up and walk out, its like my legs wouldn't let me."

Gibbs waved the coffee cup in front of McGee. He took it with a thank you as Gibbs pulled up another chair next to him. "I know you feel guilty, but it was his choice to push you out of the way and take the bullets."

"But if I hadn't screwed up-" he started but was stopped by a slap to the head.

"You're only human. People make mistakes."

"This mistake my just cost Tony his life," McGee muttered.

"He will not die," Gibbs said confidently. "He won't."

"I hope not," he replied.

"Go home, McGee," Gibbs ordered. "Take a shower. Get something to eat. Sleep. Then come back." McGee reluctantly nodded and stood up to leave. But just as before, he couldn't bring himself to walk out. "McGee…" Gibbs warned.

"Right, Boss," he said. And he left. Gibbs looked from Tony to his sister. The blanket Abby had put over her had begun to slip off. He wandered over and pulled the grey blanket up to her chin. She stirreds a little but then went back to breathing peacfully. She really did resemble Tony. Everything from her hair to her nose was the same as her brother.

Unlike the rest of the team, he'd known about Allison since the beginning. Well, not the beginning. Almost the beginning. He had bailed on a scene for her. Gibbs had demanded to know what else could be so damn important other than this job and to Gibbs's surprise Tony answered truthfully.

_"What the hell was so important that you had to leave with no notice?" the younger Gibbs shouted._

_"My sister, Boss," Tony replied automatically. "She was… date raped and I had to deal with her and the police back at home. I should have left like that, but she sounded really desperate on the phone and, she's my little sister Boss. I couldn't just tell her no."_

_Gibbs was stunned. He hadn't expected him to share everything willingly without a fight. Gibbs nodded and said, "Just tell me next time, DiNozzo. I know about family and it is important. I'll get it." Gibbs used a tone he hadn't used in a while and one that Tony hadn't seen yet._

"_Thanks, Boss," Tony said slightly stunned at his understanding. "I will." __**Maybe the truth really is the best policy…**__ Tony thought. _

Gibbs smiled at the memory. Tony had been shocked when he didn't yell. Poor DiNozzo… He just didn't seem to get it. Gibbs could be compassionate and understanding... just not very often.

--

Allison awoke groggily with a kink in her neck. She moaned in displeasure as she tried to figure out where she was. The blanket was scratchy and the cusions were uncomfortable so she sure wasn't in her home. The smell of latex gloves and disinfectant floated into her noise and the memories of the few hours earlier flooded back even before she opened her eyes. Tony on life support… the surgery… sobbing over his body…

At that point she didn't even want to open her eyes, because she knew what she would see and Allie didn't believe she could handle it. However, she forced her eyes open and her lip quivered at he sight of his still limp body. She got up and walked over to his side. Her hand sliped into his and she whispered, "What the hell am I going to do?"

--

"What the hell am I going to do?" she whispered. Tony wanted to tell her what she should do. She shouldn't worry so much about him. He was going to be okay…right? He wasn't so sure himself anymore. He hadn'e been able to move in over a day and a half. Was he going to get better? Or was this it? Was he going to live like this for a few days and then…what? Just die? Just like that? Would it be painful or painless? Would it be quick or would he slowly fade away? Would he ever see his sister again? Would he be able to tell McGee it wasn't his fault? He felt so gulity he had sat with him for five hours. Gibbs had to order him to leave so he could get some rest.

There were too many unanswered questions and so many things he had to do. Was there a higher being controlling his situation? Would said higher being let him stay? Or take him away leaving all his unfinished buiness for others to handle? _Stop it! _he yelled at himself. _You can't think like that. You're going to be fine. Just fine. Please let me be fine…_

--

Several hours later and after a shower and about two hours of sleep, McGee drove up in his car to the hospital for the second time that day. He parked the car, but didn't get out. He sat there for a few minutes trying to comprehend the fact Tony may not make it. Tony had always been there. If he was gone… Tim didn't know what he would do. Sure, he hated all the teasing but in a way it made him feel important. It was different when Kate died. He hadn't known her all that long, but he'd known Tony for five years. Five years and counting. If he didn't come back from this… NCIS would never be the same.

Then he began thinking about what Allison should do. He told her he'd think about it and he did. In actuality, neither of the choices was ideal but taking the bullet out would be safer. Then it wouldn't bother him later in life. But if she took his advice and he died, he would feel even more gulity. "Please be okay Tony," he whisperd out loud. "Please. You can't die. Not yet."

Finally mustering up the courage to get out of his car, he emerged and walked to the entrance to the hospital. As he entered Tony's room he saw Allison had woken up and was now seated in the chair he'd vacated hours ago. "Hey," he greeted. "How's he doing?"

"Same," she whispered. "I still don't know what to do. Have you thought about it?" she asked turning around to face him.

"Yeah, and I think you should take it out," he replied.

"Why?"

"Because if you take it out and it works, he won't have any problems with it later in life. If you don't take it out, it may affect him tomorrow or five years from now."

She thought about this for a minute then said, "That's a really good answer."

He gave a small grin and sat down next to her. As he did, the doctor came in. "Miss DiNozzo, have you made your decision?" he asked as he checkd Tony's vitals.

"I want you to take it out," she whispered. "I want you to take the bullet out."

"Very well. I'll just need you to sign the forms," he said handing her a clipboard. "Nurse, will you prepare the OR and have someone prep the patient?" The nurse he had come in with nodded and walked out. Allie signed the papers without a word and handed the clipboard back to the doctor. "Thank you. I will do everything I can to ensure he comes out of this surgery healthy and without any more injury."

"Thank you." Dr. Mallik walked out and left the two alone. "I hope I made the right decision." McGee didn't have anything to say, because even he didn't know what the outcome would be. Instead, he clasped her free hand in his. Sighing deeply, she grabbed it back.

--

Hours later Tony was prepped for surgery and Abby had come back to the hospital. Her and McGee stood talking and Allison sat in the lobby anxiously awaiting Tony's return.

Abby sat down next to her and introduced himself. "Hi, I'm Abby the-"

"-lab tech. I remember you. We talked on the phone once." She interrupted.

"You remember?"

"Yeah. There was some rcok music in the background, I think."

"There was," Abby confirmed. "You have a great memory."

"Thanks." After a few second of silence, she asked, "He's goning to be okay, right?"

"Of course Tony is. He is the stringest person I know. Except for Gibbs… But I know him. And he wouldn't just give up. He'll be okay."

Allie nodded. "I guess I just needed to hear it from someone else first. Thanks."

"Sure thing," she replied putting her arm around her. The chains on her pants jingled and surprisingly Allison found it humorous. As she laughed Abby said, "What? I don't see what's so funny."

"I just remember a time Tony was telling me about when he first got back from having the plague. I guess you just reminded me of it," she laughed.

"Oh, I remember that!" Abby recalled. "When he asked me if he could lay down and I gave him Bert." Abby began laughing too. McGee couldn't help but smile at the two women. People were staring now but the girls laughed on unitl finally they couldn't breathe anymore.

"Thank you," Allison said after a deep breath. "I needed that."

"Me too," Abby sighed. "You're welcome."

"I think we all did," McGee supplied sitting down next to them.

--

Dr. Mallik came out in his scrubs to find the people who were with Tony DiNozzo. "Is he okay?" his sister asked. "Did it go okay?"

"It went as well as can be expected. The next few hours are crucial but I don't believe he'll need to be on life support anymore."

Tears welled in her eyes as she said, "Thank you."

"You're welcome. And I think you made the right choice." Her eyes traveled slowly to McGee and she could see he was trying very hard to hold in a relieved smile.

"Can we see him?" Ziva asked. She'd arrive shortly before the doctor emerged from the OR.

"Sure. He's back in his room." He then left them all standing there breathign sighs of relief.

"Told you he was going to be all right," Abby said. Allison smiled and at that moment Dr. Donald Mallard, or Ducky to his friends, chose to walk in.

"I take it young Anthony is doing better," he said with his Brittish accent.

"Ducky!" Abby exclaimed. "I told you he was going to get better. He's out of surgery and the doctor says he should be getting better. He won't be on life support anymore," she told him eagerly.

"Well that's very good. As I recall, Jethro also told me Tony wouldn't die," he said.

"Someone should call him," McGee said.

"I will do it," Ziva offered as she walked away taking out her phone.

"Well, come on," Abby said. "Let's go see him."

All of the group excluding Ziva walked to Tony's room jovial that he was getting better.

--

About two hours later, everyone from Tony's team was in his room anxiously waiting for him to wake up including Jimmy Palmer, the autospy assistant. All of a sudden the heart moniter began beeping rapidly and several nurses ran into the room and shoved Allison and Abby out of the way. Dr. Mallik came in and began firing off a bunch of orders that included the seven of Tony's friends and family to get out of the way.

"No, wait. What's going on?" Allison said, her voice high pitched and shrill. "What's happening?"

"Will someone please get her out of here?" the doctor yelled. "And get a crash cart!"

McGee grabbed her and tried to pull Allison out of the way but she resisted. "Stop it," she told him pushing his hands away. "What's going on?" she said her eyes now filling with tears.

A high pitched beep sounded and somone yelled, "He's flat lining! Get that crash cart over here now!"

--

A/N: Aha! A cliff hanger! I'm so evil. But I promise, it won't take me nearly as long to update this time. I'm sorry for the incrdibally long wait but I had a lot to tak care of and couldn't find any time to write. SORRY! But the next chapter will be up soon. :D REVIEW!!


	5. Stunned

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. If I did, I'd be the happiest person alive.

A/N: SOOO SORRY for the long wait. I had half the chapter written then a stupid writer's block bomb hit me and I couldn't think of what else to write. I hate that. But I have it now. And don't think for a second that this the end. There is definatly more to come after this... And I have a few ideas... Have fun reading! :D

--

Time seemed to stand still. The ambient noises disappeared and Allison was left with only silence in her mind. McGee had literally dragged her to the back of the room and out of the way. His arm was wrapped tightly around her waist to prevent her from dashing forward again. Tears soaked her cheeks and the collor of the grey t-shirt she had been wearing for the past couple of days. Her hands trembled as they clung to McGee's shirt and her lip quivered with worry.

The rest of the crew stood next to them. Their faces also held looks of extreme worry and some had tear streaks. Everyone hoped, _prayed _that Tony was going to be all right.

--

Tony sat up and got off his bed. He looked around at the chaos that ensued. Doctors ran this way and that and people were yelling things he couldn't understand or hear. It was so much more quiet than he was used to in a hospital. "This is so weird…" he said to himself.

"Oh, isn't it?" a female voice said from behind him. As he turned, a beautiful woman of around thirty came into view. Her long brown hair fell around her smiling face. A man of around the same age stood behind her, also smiling.

"Mama?" he whispered with tears stinging his eyes. "Dad? Is that you?" The woman nodded and he ran over and hugged her tightly. He did the same with his father. Then he asked, "What are you guys doing here? What's happening?"

"Well," his mother said gently, "you're dying, sweety. We're here to take you to the other side if you choose that path. Or guide you back to the land of the living."

"I have to choose?" Tony asked. "I thought people just died and that was it."

"Not many people do know, as most choose to move on," his father said. "Few, if any choose to stay."

"Honey," his mother said simply, "go back."

"What? Why?" Tony asked.

"Because we don't need you here. But your sister and friends need you there," his mother replied.

"Allie," he whispered turning around. As he walked closer to her he could see she was desperatly upset. No, she had gone past upset. She was hysterical. McGee was holding her close, trying but failing to hold back his own tears. As he moved down the line, he saw all the faces he knew so well, all with terrified looks on them. The image of all his friends frightened and worried would be forever burned into his brain. Gibbs looked as if anything would push him over the edge and he would burst into tears. Abby was being cradled by Gibbs and _was _crying. Ducky and Palmer stood with their hands clasped in front of their mouths almost in a praying gesture. Even Ziva was crying. He held out his hand to touch her fae but it went right through instead.

"Please go back, son," his father said. "Allie can't lose her big brother so soon after she lost your mother."

He took another look at his little sister and his heart nearly broke in half. "But I want to stay with you, Mama," he said turning to her. "I miss you so much." A single tear ran down his face. She put her hand on his cheek and wiped it away with her thumb.

"I know you do, baby, but don't abandon your sister."

"Like you abandoned us?" Tony said angerly.

"It was our days to die. Today, isn't yours," his dad told him.

Tony's anger vanished on the spot and he looked from his parents to his friends and sister several times. Gibbs's voice suddenly filled his mind. _"You will not die, DiNozzo," he whispered to him. Tony wasn't listening to this until Gibbs whacked him softly on the top of the head. "I said, you will not die." _

"_Gotcha, Boss," he whispered with difficulty. _"I'll go back," he said after the flashback ended. At this the two others grinned broadly.

"We're always with you, my child. Remember that," his mom said.

"And Son," his dad called. "I am proud of what you've become." Tony smiled with new tears that threatened to fall.

"How do I go back?" he asked feeling a little embarassed for not knowing what to do.

"Just lie back down," his mother instructed. "And remember, I'm always with you." And she and his father faded away into nothing. Tony did as he was told and something pounded on his chest. Immense pain followed and he wondered if he made the right choice…

--

The long beep of the heart moniter contiuned and just when Allie thought there was no hope left, a heart beat showed up. Then another and another. Only when the doctor finally said, "He's back," did Allie left go of the strangle hold she had on McGee's arm. The group let out a collective sigh of relief and Allison buried her head in McGee's chest and sobbed with relief.

He too swallowed the lump in is throat and silently thanked whatever higher being let Tony live. Gibbs ran out of the room followed closly by Ducky calling, "Jethro!" Ziva let out the breath she didn't realize she had been holding and collapsed into the nearest chair. Palmer hugged Abby as she too cried.

--

Gibbs ran outside the to get fresh air and the smell of the hospital out of his nose. Tony had almost died… Technically, he did die… for over a minute and he couldn't have done anything. "Jethro!" Ducky said coming up behind him. The cool night air was bitter and sharp against his cheeks as he tried to cool down. "Jethro, why did you run out?" he asked, slightly out of breath.

"I can't do this, Duck," Gibbs muttered. "I can't go to another one of my agents' funerals." He stood there, then added quietly, "Not after Jen."

"Jethro," the Brittish man began, "I know this is a difficult time, but you won't have to. Anthony is a fighter."

"All of us almost watched him die, Ducky!" he shouted. Several people passing looked over but both Gibbs and Ducky paid no mind to them.

"Yes, but all of us watched him pull through as well," the other man retorted. "You saw that heart beat. He is still alive, and he won't give up. Just like he didn't when he got the plague. He listened to you then. What makes you think he won't listen now?"

Gibbs couldn't find anything else to say in response to this. Instead, he nodded and took a deep breath. After several minutes of complete silence and thought, Gibbs sighed,"Come on, Duck. Let's go inside."

--

As Gibbs got back to Tony's room he heard Allison say, "Is he going to be all right?"

"The next few hours are crucial," the doctor said, dancing around the question. "As long as he doesn't have another episode, he should be fine."

"You did not answer her question," Ziva said angerly rubbing her temples. "Is he or is he not going to be all right?"

"I…" the Dr. Mallik said, "I don't know. Not yet anyway." Gibbs saw Allison's eyes get wide and her hand cover her mouth. "As I said before, the next few hours are crucial. He is still breathing on his own but if something else happens that will also be set back. We'll keep a close watch on him for a full twenty-four hours. If he doesn't wake up by then…I don't know what we'll do." And with that he walked away. Allison sunk down into a nearby chair with her hand still covering her mouth. Ziva couldn't move.

"McGee, Ziva, come here," Gibbs said. His two agents obeyed and stood around him. "McGee, I want you to take Allison to your house. Have her shower, chang, eat and sleep. She's been here for over two days. She needs a change of scenery."

"But Boss, shouldn't Ziva or Abby do that? I mean, they are girls…" McGee trailed off as he saw the look on his boss's face. "R-right. Sorry Boss."

"I want one of us to stay with Tony at all times. In four hour shifts."

"I will take the first one," Ziva volenteered.

Gibbs nodded an replied, "Then I'll take the second and McGee, you'll take the third. That should give Allison enough time to rest and recooperate." McGee gave a curt nod and made his way over to Allison. He whispered something and she stood up and followed him blindly. Ziva went into Tony's along with Abby room and Gibbs, Ducky, and Palmer exited the hospital back to NCIS. Working would help keep his mind off his senior agent's condition.

--

The drive to McGee's appartment was delay due to the amount of rush hour trafic but eventually they made it. Allison looked as if she was in a catatonic state, staring into nothing. At first McGee was afraid she was unitl she responded to his suggestions. "Why don't you take a shower?"

Her mouth was pulled into a thin line and the bags under her eyes were extremely pernounced against her pale white skin. "Hey," he said, gently shaking her arm. She snapped out of the trance she was in, "I asked if you wanted to take a shower."

"Sorry," she muttered. "I guess I'm a little distracted."

"Understandable," McGee answered. "Go ahead and go in," he said handing her his key. "Its number 328. I'm just gonna grab your stuff from the trunk and I'll be right in." She nodded and slowly got out of the car. McGee sighed and hoped Tony would be okay. If not for the rest of them, for Allie.

--

Eight hours later and after an hour shower and sleep, Allie and McGee dorve up the hospital parking lot. Sleep hand't come easily especially for Allison. McGee heard her toss and turn for an hour and a half before she actually settled down and even then it wasn't restful. He had actually awoke to her screams of terror.

Naturally, he rushed in to see what was wrong. It would not be good if Tony's little sister was murdered while he was supposed to be watching her. But when he burst through the door, she was still lying down, eyes closed. _Nightmare..._ he thought. _I've had my share of those. _He gently shook her awake and her eyes shot open. Fear was evident in their depths and he said, "It was just a dream. Nightmare." She nodded, believing him, yet tears filled her eyes. McGee, hugged her close as she tried to stifle the tears escaping from her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, wiping the last of her tears away.

"Don't be sorry," McGee comforted. "He's going to be okay. If Gibbs believes it, he will."

"Thank you," she said. "You've been more than accomidating." When she pulled away from the hug she said, "You can sleep now. I'll be okay. And you don't have to run in here when I scream."

"Oh, yes I do," he said. "I don't want my neighbors thinking I'm killing someone in here," he chuckled trying to lighten the mood.

She gave a watery chuckle too and said, "Yeah. That would be bad. I'll be okay. Go ahead and sleep yourself." McGee nodded, got up from his bed and walked out of the room.

Later when he was sure she was asleep, he quietly opened the door and watched her sleep. For once, all her features were and no tears leaked from her eyes. She was even more pretty than when he had first saw her, if that was even possible. No longer was her face pale, but fully colored and fair. _Wait a minute..._ he thought. _I can't be thinking about Tony's sister like that. He'd kill me... If he lives. .. NO! He will live. And he'd kill me. Besides, it's probably just tranferance. I'll get over it._ He turned away from the door and lied down on his couch. _I'll get over it _he thought as he drifted off into a fitful sleep himself.

Here they were roughly eight hours later walking into the sliding glass doors of the hospital. Back to Tony. As they walked in Gibbs got up. "Is he getting any better?" MCGee asked him.

"I think I saw him twitch a few times but other than that, I haven't seen anything," the man answered. "But it's only be a couple of hours. We still have a long way to go," he directed towards Allie upon seeing her distressed expression. The younger girl took Gibbs's old spot and McGee moved to look out the window.

--

A short time later, a knock was heard from outside the glass door. Abby was standing there looking in wearing her characteristic black platform shoes and black lipstick. She waved for McGee to come out and talk to her. "I'll be back," he said just before he stepped out. "What's up Abbs?" he asked.

"How is he?" she wondered.

"The doctor came in a few hours ago and said he was doing better but he hasn't woken up yet."

"How's the girl?"

"Okay, I guess. When we were at my place, she woke up screaming and crying." When Abby gave him a questioning look and he supplied, "Nightmare."

"Wow," Abby whispered. "That sucks."

"Yeah..." he said trailing off. Allie was sitting hunched over with her brother's hand in her own. She was staring at his face almost unblinking and she didn't look away once.

"McGee!" Abby said.

"What?"

"I asked you what you were thinking."

"I don't... I don't really know."

Abby stepped so she stood next to him. "You like her, don't you?" she asked. Nurses rushed by with no heed to the peculiar pair standing at the door way.

"Its just transference," he mumbled.

"So you don't deny it?"

"It's just transference," he repeated.

"Whatever you say, McGee." They stood there for a good hour before Abby made her way out and McGee his way back in.

--

Tony groaned in pain. His chest hurt so much. Why did it hurt like this? _Oh yeah,_ he thought._ I was shot. I guess that could make it hurt a little bit more. Plus the paddles. Ow, ow, ow... _he thought as he tried to move.He felt his hand encased his someone elses and his mind jumped immediately to Allie and the look on her face when he was dying. Slowly, he forced himself to try and peal his eye lids open and look around the room. "Come on, Tony," he heard her whisper. "I know you're in there. Please, just open your eyes."

"I'm trying," he mumbled. "But they don't seem to want to cooperate." Allie blinked in surprise, not at all expecting an answer. When his eye lids finally decided to open the first thing he saw was his sister crying, but this time it was with a smile on her face. "Hey stranger," he muttered with his own smile.

"You're awake!" she said.

"I am."

"I was so worried," she said.

He finally got the strength to squeeze her hand back and said, "I know."

"What?" she asked.

"I said, 'I'm sure,'" he lied. He didn't want to sound crazy.

McGee chose that moment to reenter the hospital room and stood completely still at the sight of his conscious partner. "McNurse," he taunted. "Good to see ya."

"You're awake!" he said.

"You guys are starting to sound like a broken record. Yes, I'm awake. A dalmatian could figure that one out."

"He's fine," McGee announced after the insults had been shot at him. He never thought he'd miss those so much. "I'm gonna call everyone," he said as he started to walk back out.

"Probie!" Tony called in as loud a voice as he could muster before the other man could completely exit. "Can I talk to you for a sce?"

"I'm going to get something from the cafeteria," Allie said excusing herself from the room, leaving her brother and the man who was there for her from the start alone.

"What's up Tony?" he asked.

"I just want you to know it's not your fault. Me getting shot I mean. I made that choice and you shouldn't feel guilty for anything that's happened." Tim stood in a shocked silence for a minute, stunned that Tony could almost read his mind. "Tim?" Tony asked to snap him out of the trance.

"Thanks, Tony," he responded. "I'll try not to."

"You do that."

For the sceond time, McGee didn't exit the room right away. "I really am glad you're okay, Tony. It's nice to see you awake." Tony smiled and nodded as the young man left him alone. People really did care about him...

--

A/N: Yeah I know... A little cliche, but what can I say? It worked... Didn't it? If not, tell me in your REVIEW! Thanks for sticking with me! And this time I promise that the next chapter will be updated sooner. ;D


	6. Back to Work

Disclaimer: I own nothing. That makes me sad...

A/N: Told you it wouldn't take as long as before. And I al;ready have most of the next chapter written so that's good. Nothing left to say except- PLEASE REVIEW!

--

Gibbs stumbled into the NCIS squad room unusually early for him with a cup of his signature coffee in his hand. No one else was in yet considering it was four in the morning. The glow of the computer screen lit up his tired face. Dark bags lingered under his eyes and his crow's feet were extremely pronounced. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he had been having nightmares. Nightmares about DiNozzo. It had been four months. _Four_ months since he had been shot. He was due to come back to work in a week. For the past four months he had woken up every other night with the same dream, always with an very unpleasant ending. No one esle knew of course, but Abby had seen a difference in his demeanor and Ducky did suspect something but they knew enough not to say anything. McGee and Ziva didn't take this change in behavior to be because DiNozzo was shot, but only because of his absence.

He rubbed his eyes and started to type up another case report. This is what he normally did when he came in early. He would awlays leave an hour before anyone else got there and return at the normal time. Things would blow over as soon as Tony was back to work. At least, he hoped it would...

--

DiNozzo stood in the NCIS elevator, butterflies in his stomach. He wanted- no_ needed_- to come back to work. He just wasn't so sure Gibbs would see it that way. His chest was fine. The only symptom left was a little shortness of breath but that would soon pass. As the large metal doors dinged open he strode into the familiar squad room. He missed this place, the cases, his friends. They had all visited frequently when he was in the hospital and at home, but he was ready to get back to the cases. "DiNozzo! What are you doing here?" Gibbs's curt voice floated from his desk. "You're still on leave."

"Come on, Boss," he whined. "I'm dying here. It's been four months. I want to come back. I need to come back. Yesterday I was actually looking forward to a soap opera. And Allie is driving me insane! She won't leave me alone! She's like a crazy stalker ex-girlfriend! Please, Boss. Please?" Tony was practically begging to be let back in. Gibbs couldn't just tell the kid no. After all, he was human.

"All right, DiNozzo. But just office work for now. Unless I really need you."

"Thank you, Boss," he sighed with relief. A huge smile spread across his face as he sat down in his desk. "Finally," he whispered.

--

"_You're what?"_ Allie practically screamed through the phone.

'Allie?' McGee mouthed when he heard the female voice shriek over the office phone. Tony had pulled the reciver away from his ear and nodded. He gave an apologetic shrug and went back to working on his own paperwork.

"I'm back at work," he repeated.

"_You still have a full week of leave left. Why the hell are you back at work?"_ she questioned.

"Please, Al, I was practically dying of boredom at home. I needed to come back. Can't you understand that?" he whined pitifully. McGee smirked from his desk. He would definatly get a good response from that.

"_Okay,"_ she said slowly. _"But you have to be very careful. You can't do anything stupid. No raids for now. No nothing. Nothing but paperwork. The worst you can get from that is a paper cut,_" she riled off.

"I know," Tony relied. "Gibbs gave me the same speech."

"_Promise?"_

"Promise. I love you Al."

"_Wait,"_ she said. _"Let me talk to Tim."_

"Why?" he asked.

"_Just give him the damn phone,_" she snapped.

"McGoo!" Tony called to his partner. "Phone," he said waving the reciver. Tim got a questioning look on his face as he got out of his chair.

"Hello?" he asked.

"_Tim, I need to talk to you,"_ Allison said.

"Hi, Al," he said. Allie and Tim had also stayed in contact as friends. However much McGee didn't want to admit it, the feelings he had for Allie hadn't gone away. But he'd never tell her. He wouldn't do that to DiNozzo. "What can I do for you."

"_As of now you and Tony are joined at the hip whenever he goes out into the field,"_ she said.

"And why's that?"

"_Because he not supposed to be back for another week and I don't want him getting hurt. I need to you make sure he doesn't."_

"I will," he replied understanding her worry. "I promise. Okay?"

"_All right. Talk to you later. And if anything happens, you'll call me?"_

"'Course. Bye."

"_Bye."_ And they both hung up the phone.

--

"Grab your gear," Gibbs barked. "We have a scene."

"Me too, Boss?" Tony asked. It had been two days since he had first come back and he was slowly working his way out into the field.

Gibbs thought for a moment hten said, "You too, DiNozzo." Tony grinned broadly and snatched up his backpack. Ziva and McGee smiled at the sight of Tony excited to finally go to a scene. Ziva showed a little caring and let Tony drive as opposed to being subjected to her horrendous driving skills.

They soon found out that their scene was a back alley. That meant a lot of processing. "Ziva," Gibbs said, "You're with me. We'll interview witnesses. Tony, photos. McGee, prints and swabs. When Ducky takes the body, both of you bag and tag." Both men nodded as they watched Gibbs and Ziva walk away. Ducky and Palmer ducked under the yellow crime scene tape and went straight to the body.

"Anthony!" Ducky said. "Good to see you out and about again!"

"Good to be out and about," Tony replied.

"I'm sure. Four months at home..." Palmer trailed off. "That's got to suck."

"Thanks," Tony said sarcastically, returning to photographing. "Got a time of death?"

"Yes..." Ducky said as the trademark squish was heard as he pulled the liver probe out of the body. "Around eight-thirty this morning. I'll know more when I get him back to autopsy."

--

Long after everyone, including Gibbs, Ducky and all the on-lookers, were gone, Tony and McGee still walked around the crime scene, combing for every piece of evidence. "What did she say to you, by the way? I never got a chance to ask you," Tony wondered.

"Who asked me what?" McGee said as he snapped another picture before bagging another piece of...something.

"Allie asked you a few days ago. What did she ask you on the phone?" But Tim didn't get a chance to answer when a man wandered up to the crime scene tape. He slid underneath it and Tony said, "Sir, this is a crime scene. You can't be here."

"Don't tell me where I can or can't be," he slurred. Both men knew he was under the influence of something . And they had to get him behind the tape so he wouldn't contaminnate the scene.

"Sir," McGee said, "Can I take you to a shelter?"

"I don't need no shelter neither," he spat. Tony moved closer and the man reached iunside his jacket and pulled a knife. "I want your money pretty boy," he said pointing the knife at Tony. _Shit! _He thought. _Why did I leave my gun in the car?_

McGee moved closer to the man and Tony, trying to stay as calm as possible. "Sir, you need to put the knife down," he said pulling out his own weapon.

"No," the man mumbled. "I need your boy's wallet."

"Okay," Tony said. He slowly pulled out his wallet and tossed it away from him, but accidentally towards McGee. The man finally realized that McGee had a gun and freaked, backing away from him and back to Tony.

McGee inched forward to prevent the man from doing anything stupid. Well... anything _else_ stupid. When it looked as if the man was about to stab Tony and run, McGee shoved him out of the way and shot off two rounds. The man dropped to the floor and Tony let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Probie," he said.

However, that relief was short-lived when he saw blood dripping from McGee's side. "McGee," he said, worried. "You're bleeding."

"It's just a scratch," he said. It was true that the wound looked like a graze but that didn't pacify Tony.

"Here," he said, tossing over his jacket. "Sit down and put pressure on it. I'm going to call and ambulance." McGee did as he was told and Tony pulled out his phone and dialed 911.

--

A/N: Very intense huh? Do not fret. McGee's life is not in danger. But this leads to a lot more drama between the three. Wait and see and don't forget to review!


	7. New Information

Disclaimer: I own nothing of NCIS except... no wait. I own nothing at all.

A/N: Here's a new chapter. Please review! Enjoy!

--

"I am going to kill them. I am going to kill them. I am going to _kill_ them!" Allison muttered to herself as she entered the local DC hospital. As she approached the nurses' station she said in an angry tone, "Timothy McGee, please." The nurse directed her to the right room, Allie all the while muttering angerly to herself. When she saw Tony standing outside McGee's room she said, "You! I am going to kill you! And McGee. Speaking of which, where is he?"

"What?" Tony said. "No 'Hi Tony?' or 'Nice to see you're alive, Tony'?"

"Goddamn you!" she said slamming her palm into his chest. "I told you not to go back and look what happened. You could have been stabbed! You could have died this time!"

"But I wasn't."

"McGee was," she retorted.

"And I didn't," he pressed on with no regard to what she had said. "We are both fine."

"Well, good," she said. "Because now, I get to kick your ass all the way to the grave." She then yanked open the sliding glass door and entered McGee's room. "I am going to kill you," she told him.

"Nice to see you too," he said sarcastically. After he watched Allison pace in front of his bed for a few minutes he added, "I just did what you told me!"

"I told you to keep him from getting hurt!" she immediatly retorted. "Not to jump in front a freakin' knife and get stabbed!"

"Technically, I didn't get stabbed. I was grazed and tomorrow I'm getting discharged," he said.

"Well, technically, you're still in the hospital with a knife wound and technically I'm still pissed off at you for being a dumbass and taking what I said too literally! And tango-ing with a druggy and not giving in and just handing him the damn wallet!" she ranted. "But," she said in a softer tone, "I am glad you're okay. Both of you." Both men chuckled as she said, "I'm going to get some coffee. I'll be back in a few." Lightly, she squeezed McGee's hand and walked out, a gesture that did not go unoticed by Tony. He quickly followed her out and down to the hospital caffiteria.

--

"Hey," he said following her into the line. "Can I talk to you about something?"

"Sure," Allie shrugged pulling out a few bills for the coffee. "Go for it." When she walked away Tony followed her, yet didn't respond as if he was trying to figure out what he was going to say. "Well are you going to say something or are you just going to follow me like a creepy dog?" she asked turning a corner.

"Do you like McGee?" he abruptly asked.

"Excuse me?" she asked, trying not to blush.

"Do you like McGee?" Tony repeated. "It's a simple question."

"He's a... nice guy..." she said and then quickly added, "But I wouldn't want to like date him."

"You are lying!" he said with a smile as they both ran up a single flight of stairs. "Unbelievable. You like McGoo!"

"I am not lying!" she objected.

"You are!" he said. "The left corner of your mouth is twitching! It always twitches when you lie!"

"It does not!" she said, trying not to yell.

"It's the classic cliche movie twist," Tony said, again ignoring her comment. "The friend's sister falls in love with the best friend."

"Wrong!" Allie said. By now they were almost back to McGee's hospital room. Allie had stopped walking to face him and say, "The classic cliche movie twist is the best friend falling for the best friend and since I'm positive you're not falling in love with McGee, not a classic movie twist." She turned on her heels and walked the rest of the way to McGee's room. "And I am not lying!" she threw over her sholder.

"Yes you are," Tony said turing her and pinning her against the wall. "I'm your big brother. You can't lie to me."

She thought for a moment then said, "Why does it even matter to you?"

"I'm curious," he shrugged. "And why won't you tell me? Is it because you're afraid I'll be angry?"

"Yes!" she said. "Do you remember what happened with the last boyfriend I had?"

"No..." he said. "I don't think so..."

"He hitchhiked to Nebraska because he couldn't take any more fo your crap! Nebraska!"

"That wasn't my fault. Maybe he just wanted to take a vacation there," he offered.

"Who the hell takes a voluntary vacation to Nebraska?" she asked.

"Good point..."

"So what makes you think this won't be the same thing? I'm positive that you'd be pretty pissed off if I started dating your best friend and co-worker!" She took a deep breath and said much quieter, "Besides, you remember what happened with my last long distance relationship."

"Long distance?" he asked.

"I live eight hours away my car and two hours away by plane and you know how much I hate flying. I have a decent job, an apartment, friends... I'm not just going to leave that all behind! I-I..." Her eyes found the floor and she said in almost a whisper, "It wouldn't work. Even if I did like him, it just- It wouldn't work." She shoved the coffee cup into his hands and pushed him away.

"Al-" he said.

"Leave it alone, Tony," she said.

"But I-"

"I said leave it alone," she said walking away.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"To get...more coffee. I'm done drinking the swill here."

Tony looked down to the full coffee cup in his hand and sighed. She really did like him. And didn't want to do anything. What the hell was wrong with people these days? He sunk slowly into a chair just outside of McGee's room. Neither of them noticed the slightly open sliding glass door or McGee sitting wide-eyed in his bed wondering what the hell was going on.

--

A/N: I know this is short but I'm having some serious writer's block. I'll get over it and you'll get a new chapter soon! PLEASE REVIEW! Thanks!


	8. Singing in the Rain

Disclaimer: Nothing you recognize is mine.

A/N: Okay, so I'm really incredibly, absolutely and soooooooo soooooo soooooo soooo soooooo sorry for the hugely massive long wait. I did not forget, I just had a massive amount of things to do and I had a hard time writing. I hope this lives up to your long awaited expectations. If not… Sorry… I tried. Here's the last chapter of 'Don't Be Afraid'. Hope you like it.

--

1After a while of thought, Tony without his sister as she had not returned from 'getting coffee' yet, walked into McGee's room, still not noticing the door was slightly open. "Hey, McGoo," he said, faking happiness. "What's up?" he wondered upon seeing the look on his face.

"What?" he asked, coming out of his trance. "Oh, nothing. Nothing's up."

"You sure?" he asked. "'Cause it looks like you've just seen a ghost."

He closed his eyes in thought, then said, much to Tony's surprise, "I heard what you guys said, Tony. Outside. I heard what you said."

Tony's mouth opened a few times as if he was trying to figure out what to say. To McGee, he looked oddly like a fish. Finally on the fourth try, he said, "You did?"

"Yeah," he whispered.

"Well then I think you know what to do..." Tony said.

"What?" McGee asked, clearly confused as to where he was going.

"Ask her out!" he shouted as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. This surprised McGee. That was definitely not what he was expecting. At McGee's confused expression, he continued. "Oh, come on! I know you like her! She likes you! Ergo, maybe if you went out, she could realize it and you could frolic off and live happily ever after!"

"But..." McGee said, "that's not what she wants."

"Oh, she doesn't know what she wants," Tony waved off. "She's blinded by some idiot who broke her heart before. The point is I'm sure if you actually went out it would change things. She wouldn't be so blinded."

"Tony..." he said. "I can't..."

"God!" he yelled. "What is the matter with people these days? You like her, she likes you! There's no middle! I don't understand!"

McGee sighed and looked up at Tony. "Fine. One lunch. But if after that, she wants me to leave her alone, I will no matter what you say. Okay?" Tony smiled, that being his answer.

--

Allie paced back and forth in front of the hospital trying to convince herself what she was doing was right. "Okay," she said aloud to herself. "Uhh... Let's think of all the bad things about him..."

But the more she thought, the more she realized he didn't have any bad qualities. When Tony was in the hospital, he was always there and knew the right thing to say. And that was when she didn't even know him.

When she did get to know him when she took care of him after Tony got home from the hospital, he was there for her to talk to whenever she needed it. You've always heard about the perfect guy, and much to Allie's dismay, McGee was one of them...

Her mind kept wandering back to a specific memory, one she couldn't seem to get out of her mind.

_Just outside of the hospital, Allie sat with a blank look on her face. Anyone passing would think she was comatose, and she didn't blame them. It was hard to keep any thoughts in her mind. It was almost like trying to keep water in her cupped hands. It all kept trickling away until only thoughts about Tony remained. _

_Sure she fought with him, but he was her brother: or older, annoyed, overprotective brother, who had almost died. But that was hours ago; ten at least. Yet, that feeling wouldn't leave her heart. The fear she felt when he flat-lined was still surging through her just like the nightmares. What if it happened again? _No! _her mind screamed. _It won't happen again. It wouldn't. It couldn't. _But despite trying to reassure herself, her eye burned with tears she didn't even know she still had. _

"_Hey," someone said from behind her and she flinched. Turning around, she saw McGee standing behind the bench she was sitting on. _

"_You scared the crap out of me," she said trying to calm her racing heart._

"_Sorry," he apologized. "Do you mind if I join you?"_

"_Go for it," she sighed. _

_So he sat down beside her. "You okay?" he wondered. "You seem kind of distant."_

"_Fine," she lied, though she could tell he'd seen right through it. _Damn him! _she thought. "I don't really want to talk," she said. "I just… I just need to think."_

"_Okay," he nodded, placing a hand on hers and gently giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Okay." And he just sat with her letting her mull in her own thoughts. _

He really was the perfect guy. WHY did he always have to do things right? "I am in way over my head," she whispered to herself. Shit.

--

"Hey, Allie!" McGee called seeing her walk from the building. He'd been released mere minutes before and he intended to act upon what he told Tony he would.

"Hey," she said back, thoughts racing through her mind. _Oh, shit, _she thought. _This can't be good. _"Feeling better?" she wondered.

"Yeah," he answered. "So… I was sort of wondering… if you wanted to go out to lunch with me?"

_Oh, double shit, _her mind stated. _Tony got to him too. _"Uh…" was all she managed to say. Part of her mind practically screamed for her to say 'yes' but there was that tiny little voice back there saying 'This is a bad idea…'

"Well, I mean," he kept going ignoring the fact she hadn't spoken up, or at least brushed over it, "Tony talked to me, and I mean, it's not like a long commitment thing. It's just a lunch."

Then he looked up at her with her big guilty brown eyes. _Triple shit. Well, it won't kill you, _the little voice started to say. "Okay…" she said slowly. "But to strings attached. One lunch. That's it."

"Okay," McGee answered with a smile. "Tomorrow at noon?"

"Sure," she replied and watched him walk back to his car.

_No strings… Like hell. _

--

Allie laughed as McGee told another story about how Tony had prank-ed him on the job. Both had talked about their lives and things they hadn't learned about the other yet. Surprisingly to her, she was having a great time. _Dammit, _she thought. _This is just going to make things worse. _But she didn't say anything, nor did she show it on her face. She found his stories, both about his family and the shenanigans they got into around the office, increasingly hilarious, simply because they reminded her of all the stupid things she had done with Tony. He was a lot like her brother in a lot of ways, but there was something different about him, though she still couldn't put her finger on what it was. It could simply be that she wanted to kiss this man and not her brother (which was a good thing as opposed to vice versa), but there was something else…

After a breath and a few more giggles she checked her watch seeing it was now 3:30. McGee saw this too and he said, "Well, I think that we should probably get you home."

"Yeah," she sighed. _Remember, _she told herself, _no strings. _She grabbed her coat and walked outside and much to her delight, she found it was raining.

Allie had always loved the rain, even when she was little. So she grinned and placed her coat in McGee's hands. "What are you doing?" he asked slowly. To answer his question, she grinned and jumped into the falling water. "You're gonna catch a cold," he warned over the _plunk plunk plunk _of the rain above his head.

"So?" she called back with a smile on her face. "Come on!" she coaxed. "It's fun!"

"This is a $200 jacket," he retorted.

"So take it off," she replied. "I'm thinking of a song," she said skipping towards him. "I know you know it. _I'm…"_ she started with that note. "_…singing in the rain… _Come on. You know it. _I'm…"_

She waited for him to continue. With a sigh, but with a smile, he sang, "_…singing in the rain." _She giggled as he ran into the rain with her and held out his hand. "May I have this dance?" he asked.

"Certainly," she replied slipping her hand into his. They both laughed as they bounced around in the front of the restaurant, their hair dripping wet in front of their eyes.

McGee leaned in and said, "People are staring."

"That's the best part," she said back to him.

He twirled her out and back in so her face was within inches of his. Her heart rate increased at how close their bodies were and she realized how dry her mouth was. His heart beat pounded through his sopping wet shirt clinging to his body. Every place their bodies connected, she was very aware of from where her knees touched his to where their hands were intertwined. The only thing she didn't notice was the cold water streaming down her face and body.

"Kiss me," she whispered before her rational mind told her to stop. In fact, that little voice was quiet now, seemingly because it wanted this too. _Traitor, _she thought, but that didn't change how she felt.

"I thought you said no strings," he whispered back, his face so close to hers she could feel his breath on her nose, which was nearly touching his lips.

"I changed my mind," she said, truthfully. Before when she said 'no strings' she meant it, but now… She really couldn't even believe she had said it in the first place.

One of his hands moved from the small of her back to her cheek. His thumb gently ran across her jaw line and it sent a pleasant shiver down her back. Her skin burned where he touched it. Her eyes fluttered closed succumbing to the blissful feeling of his lips against hers.

Everything else seemed to melt away. Nothing else mattered. Not the people staring at them as they walked by, wondering why the two were standing in the rain, not any doubts in her mind, nothing.

_I told you, _one part of her mind said. _No strings? Like hell._

--

"This sucks," Allie whispered standing in the middle of a crowded airport waiting to be called for her flight back home. Her fingers played with those of McGee.

"It does," he agreed slightly subconscious that Tony was standing mere feet away.

"I know it's only been a week, but…" she said, "I'm pretty sure I've fallen in love with you."

Tony tried to conceal his smile, but failed miserable attracting the attention of a passerby. "I'll call you. Every day," McGee said. "I promise."

"You know," she said, "term's almost over and then I'll be done with college. I could always move out here…"

"I can't ask you to do that," McGee said as a woman came over the intercom. But it wasn't her flight so they both ignored it.

"I know," she said. "I want to. My brother's out here and now you are too… I might as well…"

The woman came on again calling for Allie's flight. She pressed her lips to McGee's for a very passionate kiss completely ignoring her brother. When she pulled away it took a few moments for her to open her eyes and move to Tony. As they hugged, she whispered in his ear, "If you scare him off, I'm going to kick your ass."

Tony chuckled and said, "Don't worry. I won't. See you soon, sis."

She pulled away from the hug and gave one last kiss to McGee and moved to where the line ended to get onto her flight. With one last wave she disappeared into the sea of people. "McGee," Tony said, unable to keep the smile out of his voice.

"Yes, Tony?" McGee asked, slightly embarrassed that he just saw him tonguing his little sister, but smiling none the less, knowing full well where he was going.

"I know you have a little sister and probably give this speech a lot," Tony started, "but I will have to tell you this, so can never say I didn't warn you."

"Go for it," McGee said with a grin.

"If you hurt her, I'm going to have to kill you," Tony said. "And Abby will cover it up."

"I know, Tony," he nodded with a small smile. "I know."

--

A/N: That's it! The end! Hope you enjoyed it. Again, I'm soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo completely sorry for the several months' wait. I was incredibly busy. Review if you want to. I hope it ended like you wanted it to. If not… Sorry…


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